On April 6, 2014 David Butler, executive director of The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) was the speaker. The Knoxville Museum of Art celebrates the art and artists of East Tennessee, presents new art and new ideas, educates and serves a diverse community, enhances Knoxville’s quality of life, and operates ethically, responsibly, and transparently as a public trust.

The KMA’s predecessor, the Dulin Gallery of Art, opened in 1961. In March 1990, the Knoxville Museum of Art opened in its current 53,200 square-foot facility. The current facility was an innovative structure and it suffered from being too innovative and it required extensive, creative repairs and alterations after a few years – and the result is a great facility. The museum supplements and complements its core permanent installations with a lively schedule of temporary exhibitions that explore aspects of regional culture and its relation to national and international artistic developments.

In spring 2014 the museum unveiled a permanent, monumental glass installation by acclaimed Knoxville artist Richard Jolley, a powerful affirmation of the KMA’s commitment to the art and artists of our region. The museum has a large bright, open area that can be rented to organizations for functions.

On April 13, 2015 Jerry Harnish, regional director of Rural Metro of Tennessee, spoke on “Fire Protection in Knox County”. Mr. Harnish has 33 years of experience in fire and emergency operations, including six years as fire chief in Knox County. He began his career as a firefighter and emergency medical technician with Rural Metro in 1980 and was named fire chief in 2007. As chief, he has been responsible for protecting 216,500 residents, operating 15 fire stations in Knox County, 12 of which house paramedic engine companies.

Prior to 1970s there was no formal fire protection in Knox County. Rural Metro covers about the same number of people as does the Knoxville city fire department but Rural Metro covers a much greater area. There are several volunteer fire departments in Knox County covering small areas. Most volunteer fire departments- unlike Rural Metro stations- are not manned continuously and as a result have significantly longer response times. About 2/3 of the calls to Rural Metro are for medical emergencies.The financing for fire protection needs to be changed. The subscribers ( insurance companies want houses to be subscribers) pay- basically the fixed costs of Rural Metro and people who are not subscribers pay what seems like a lot when they need help but the nonsubscribers pay only a small: percentage of the annual cost. This is a problem that the county government needs to fix. I, Bob Scott, TSK secretary, found it telling that Mr. Harnish said the Technical Society members had heard more about Knox County fire protection than have the county commissioners.

April 20, 2015 Axel Ringe of the Sierra Club spoke about “Climate Knoxville – an initiative to reduce energy use in the city.” The network was formed in early 2014 to support the City of Knoxville’s Smarter Cities Partnership to weatherize inner-city homes and EPA’s draft Clean Power Plan.

Weatherization of low income resident’s homes has the potential of making a big impact on low income people’s lives by saving money for utilities. Low income people may spend half of their income on KUB bills. A way to give landlords an incentive to lower energy usage is needed

The urban tree canopy is another concern. Currently Knoxville loses about 400 trees each year and plants about 400 trees each year. Some organizations are interested in starting a tree foundation.

April 27, 2015 David Dewhirst, Owner, Dewhirst Properties told how he went from being an aeronautical engineer to a developer and restorer of old buildings. He said he planned to do a few buildings and then retire (he didn’t mention his clock collection- there were too many other questions). He now has a busy organization. How he bought the old Watsons building for $510.000 was remarkable. He has been very successful in restoring buildings profitably but he brought up the need for revisions in the building code and the fire code.

He mentioned “underground Knoxville” but it seems to be in the future.

He thinks downtown is back and he is now looking further out, He was enthusiastic about the First Christian Church and the old Kerns bakery. We will hear more about David.

On April 30 the Technical Society hosted a working breakfast meeting to which representatives from all other STEM societies and STEM teachers were invited. The meeting purpose was to begin adding the role of coordinating society to the Technical Society mission.

On April 13, 2015 Jerry Harnish, regional director of Rural/Metro of Tennessee, will speak on “Fire Protection in Knox County”.(PDH)

Mr.Harnish has 33 years of experience in fire and emergency operations, including six years as fire chief in Knox County. He began his career as a firefighter and emergency medical technician with Rural/Metro in 1980 and was named fire chief in 2007. As chief, he has been responsible for protecting 216,500 residents, operating 15 fire stations in Knox County, 12 of which house paramedic engine companies.

Mr. Harnish is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association and the East Tennessee Regional Council of Fire Chiefs, the last of which he chaired in 2010. He currently serves on the board of the Knoxville Volunteer Emergency Rescue Squad.

He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory & Henry University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer program. He has lived in Knox County since 1980 and is married to veterinarian Dr. Duree Snapp.

April 20, 2015 Axel Ringe of the Sierra Club will speak on “Climate Knoxville – an initiative to reduce energy use in the city.” The network was formed in early 2014 to support the City of Knoxville’s Smarter Cities Partnership to weatherize inner-city homes and EPA’s draft Clean Power Plan. The organization is currently engaged in a number of important activities.

April 27, 2015 David Dewhirst, Owner, Dewhirst Properties., will give his “Thoughts about downtown (and other matters).”David Dewhirst has been instrumental in the revitalization of downtown Knoxville and he is a visionary with resources.

On April 6, 2014 David Butler, executive director of The Knoxville Museum of Art (KMA) will be the speaker.

The Knoxville Museum of Art celebrates the art and artists of East Tennessee, presents new art and new ideas, educates and serves a diverse community, enhances Knoxville’s quality of life, and operates ethically, responsibly, and transparently as a public trust. The KMA’s predecessor, the Dulin Gallery of Art, opened in 1961. In March 1990, the Knoxville Museum of Art opened in its current 53,200 square-foot facility.

The museum supplements and complements its core permanent installations with a lively schedule of temporary exhibitions that explore aspects of regional culture and its relation to national and international artistic developments.

In spring 2014 the museum unveiled a permanent, monumental glass installation by aclaimed Knoxville artist Richard Jolley, a powerful affirmation of the KMA’s commitment to the art and artists of our region.

David Butler joined the KMA as executive director in 2006 after serving as the director of the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University, the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, and the Emerson Gallery at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art history in 1976 and a master’s degree in art history in 1980, both from Florida State University. He received his Ph.D. in art history from Washington University in 1991. Dr. Butler is a peer reviewer for the Museum Assessment Program and Accreditation Program of the American Alliance of Museums and chair of the Knox County Historic Zoning Commission.

Monday meetings

Where - Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive
When - Lunch buffet starts at 11:30 AM
Meeting starts at 11:55
Cost - $13.00
For more information, e-mail us at TechnicalSocietyofKnoxville@gmail.com

The Technical Society of Knoxville and its Mission

The Technical Society of Knoxville is a group of persons interested in technology and science, and their effects on society, and in particular, on the community. The Society was founded in 1921 by Charles E. Ferris, the first dean of the UT College of Engineering and a group of leading members of the community.
The hallmark of the Technical Society is its Monday Luncheon meeting. Every Monday, the program features a speaker on a subject of technical, scientific, or general interest. Forty-four meetings were held in 2009. It is estimated that some 3980 luncheon meetings have been held over the past 90 years. The presentations are planned to be informative and educational, and provide person to person contact with experts in the field. Meetings take place at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive in downtown Knoxville. Complimentary self parking is available in the hotel garage. Meeting attendees receive a token for exiting the garage without charge after the meeting. Members and guests begin arriving around 11:30am and go through the buffet line. Cost is $13 per person payable in cash or by check in the meeting room to the designated collector. Meetings are called to order at 11:50. After a brief transaction of Society business, the guest speaker is introduced. Normally, presentations take about 50 minutes. Time is usually available for questions from the audience. The meetings are adjourned at 1:00pm. Some programs are scheduled as professional development hours (PDH) to meet the State of Tennessee’s continuing education requirements for professional engineers. These PDHs consist of at least 50 minutes of prepared presentation with discussion reserved for the time after the meeting. The State Licensing Board does not pre-approve such hours and the TSK does not guarantee approval, but strictly meets the Board-specified requirements and issues a certificate of attendance. Monday meetings are announced in the Saturday’s or Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel Business Bulletins. Guests are welcome.
For more information contact the secretary, Bob Scott, at rrscott3@aol.com or 865-690-0705.